About Us

RSVP Animal Welfare & Rescue Group is a proactive grass roots 501c3 animal welfare organization dedicated to improving the lives of companion animals while enhancing the communities in which they live by providing low-cost & free spay/neuter assistance, rescue & adoption services, pet care education and continued oversight & support as needed for responsible pet ownership.

Company Overview

RSVP, Inc. is a 501c3, non-profit animal rescue group serving Eastern Long Island, New York since Jan 6, 1996. Originally founded as the “Riverhead Shelter Volunteer Program” their goal was to improve conditions at the Riverhead municipal shelter. This strong group of passionate and dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly to reduce the euthanasia rate and find suitable homes for lost, abandoned and surrendered animals. Through these efforts, they successfully reversed the trend to destroy many adoptable pets and are still active at the Riverhead Shelter today, where the euthanasia rate has been reduced to approximately 6%. The core group has expanded over time and we are now a strong network of passionate animal advocates.

RSVP Animal Welfare & Rescue Group is there for pets with no where else to turn

and is run entirely by volunteers & donations.

General Information

RSVP is unique compared to many other animal welfare and rescue organizations.

Our mission is to get to the root of animal overpopulation, abuse and neglect.

Often well intended people find themselves in over their heads regarding the proper care of family pets and as a result make poor choices, creating an avalanche of problems affecting not only their pets, but also their own lives as well as the lives of the people in the surrounding community.

RSVP provides people with alternatives to surrendering their beloved pets to shelters due to

a lack of economic stability, family illness, etc. by offering basic veterinary care, re-homing and

temporary foster care. We strongly advocate spay/neuter to pet owners throughout the community,

and especially to “backyard breeders” whose puppies frequently end up in neglect situations or

tied out on chains for their entire lives. RSVP reaches out to those who may think it profitable to

exploit their pets through illegal means and rather than maligning them by contacting the authorities,

RSVP helps them understand that there is a better way. By providing them with the tools to

promote positive change, many begin to realize how their actions have a direct impact upon the

behaviors of their animals. RSVP is a very proactive animal welfare and rescue group continually trying to solve potential problems before they arise.

Although RSVP’s mission statement is dedicated to improving the lives of animals, by its very design,

RSVP also improves the lives of the people who own these animals and in doing so, provides the public

with the education and resources needed to create a more stable environment.

RSVP continues to improve the quality of the lives of both animals and humans who may find themselves in dire circumstances often beyond their control. While many other animal welfare and

rescue groups are forced to say “no”, RSVP steps in and finds a way to say “yes.”

RSVP continues to “push the envelope” and take on the most challenging situations.

We take the senior dogs that no one wants or those pets previously owned by an elderly person who passed away. We raise money to take in and treat the dog that came off a chain and has heartworm from being left outside its whole life. We take the sick puppies that were taken away from their mother when they too young, or the dog kept in a crate in a basement while being used as a puppy factory.

In the end, our only hope is to change the paradigm of animal ownership on Long Island so that all individuals can truly appreciate and benefit from the joys of responsibly caring for an animal for the duration of its lifetime.